Chair or the like

ABSTRACT

The disclosure relates to a chair, more particularly, to a lounge chair which is made of a frame and a flexible material, such as canvas, associated with the frame for supporting the body of a person. The chair has a back portion which is formed with a first aperture shaped to enable a person who lies flat on his stomach to rest his head while being able to see through the first aperture. The back portion also comprises second and third apertures which are adapted to permit passing the arms of the person therethrough.

United States Patent [191 Lemaire [451 Jul 29,1975

1 1 CHAIR OR THE LIKE 21 Appl. No.: 459,105

[52] US. Cl. 297/191; 5/1ll; 297/217 [51] Int. Cl A47c 7/62; A47c 31/00 [58] Field of Search 297/188, 191, 284, 217,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,308,410 l/1943 Winter 297/403 X 2,615,501 10/1952 Neiborn 297/403 2,741,869 4/1956 Aibel 248/445 2,823,393 2/1958 Baldine 5/344 2,905,230 9/1959 Gabriel 297/284 X 3,266,061 8/1966 Fuechel 5/86 3,461,878 8/1969 Southard 128/372 3,608,103 9/1971 Seid 5/327 B 3,625,434 12/1971 Kitover 128/372 UX 3,747,916 7/1973 Benson 3,828,378 8/1974 Flam 5/91 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,518,012 2/1968 France 248/445 Primary Examiner-James T. McCall Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Paul Marcoux; Alan Swabey [57] ABSTRACT The disclosure relates to a chair, more particularly, to a lounge chair which is made of a frame and a flexible material, such as canvas, associated with the frame for supporting the body of a person. The chair has a back portion which is formed with a first aperture shaped to enable a person who lies flat on his stomach to rest his head while being able to see through the first aperture. The back portion also comprises second and third apertures which are adapted to permit passing the arms of the person therethrough.

13 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL29 I975 SHEET FIG.

FIG 4 PATENTEU JUL 2 91975 SHEET CHAIR OR THE LIKE This invention relates to a chair. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a lounge chair of the type which will be mostly used by a person who wishes to read while sun-bathing.

Sun-bathing is very popular. However, because of the fact that the person vvho wishes to take a sun bath must not move while exposing himself to the rays of the sun, it can become quite monotonous. In most cases, when sitting down or being held reclined while taking a sun bath, it would seem natural for a person to read a book or something else. This is all correct when allowing the front part of the body to bronze. However, when time comes to take the same treatment on the back part of the body, the book has to be set aside and this can become quite annoying to a person who is used to reading, as most people are these days.

In order to overcome the above disadvantages, I have devised a chair or the like of the type which comprises a frame, and flexible material associated with the frame for supporting the body of a person. The chair has a back portion which is formed with a first aperture which is shaped to enable a person who lies flat on his stomach to rest his head while being able to see through the first aperture, the back portion also comprising second and third apertures adapted to permit passing the arms of the person therethrough. In this manner, it will be seen that the person taking a sun bath does not have to put his book aside when taking the treatment on the back portion of his body.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention,

FIG. 1 is a view from the side of a person taking a sun bath on his back, in a lounge chair according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the same person, in the same position, taken from above;

FIG. 3 is a partial view taken from underneath the back portion of the chair showing the face of the person opposite the aperture and the two arms passing through their respective apertures;

FIG. 4 is a view from the front end of the chair show- I ing the person in the same position;

FIG. Skis a top plan view of the back portion of the chair showing a cushion adapted to a pair of moving belts;

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along line 6-6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view of a sun-bather in sitting posture in a lounge chair according to the invention, this Figure also showing the back portion of the chair in fully reclined position;

FIG. 8 is a view of a book-holder mounted on a lounge chair according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is a view from the rear of a person taking a sun bath in a chair according to the invention while reading a book;

FIG. 10 is a view from above of the book-holder illustrated in FIG. 8; I

FIG. 11 is a view of the back portion of a lounge chair according to the invention in which the aperture for the head is provided with pads;

FIG. 11a is a detailed view through the pad;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 in which the aperture has been enlarged and the pads have been replaced by elastic bands sewn to the canvas;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 11 in which the aperture has been enlarged and the pads have been replaced by elastic bands which are adjustable;

FIG. 14 is a detailed view of the openings for hooking the elastic bands illustrated in FIG. 13, also incorporating sponge pads slidably engaged over the elastic bands;

FIG. 15 is a section taken through line 1515 of FIG. 14.

Referring to the drawings, it will first of all be seen that the lounge chair 1 according to the invention is of standard construction and comprises a frame 3 with legs 5 and a sheet of canvas 7 which is attached in a conventional manner by means of the attachment 9 to the frame 3.

As in all standard lounge chairs which are used for sun-bathing, the lounge chair 1 according to the invention has a reclining back portion 11. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings, the back portion 11 will be seen to comprise three rectangular apertures, namely apertures 13 which as illustrated is shaped to enable the person 15 who lies flat on his stomach to rest his head 17 while at the same time being able to see through the aperture 13. Reference is particularly made to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings. The back portion 11 also comprises two additional apertures 19 and 21 which will serve to pass the arms therethrough in order to be able to hold or handle a book as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings.

It will be seen that the size of the aperture 13 must be adjusted to enable the person to rest his forehead above the opening 13 while at the same time resting his chin immediately below the opening while still being able to see through the opening 13. This will better be seen in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

Turning now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, for another embodiments of the invention, it will be realized that for comfort purposes, the lounge chair 1 according to the invention will preferably be fitted with a cushion which is movable so as to be adapted to serve as a rest for the stomach as illustrated in FIG. 1, when the person is lying over his stomach and as rest for the neck and shoulders, as illustrated in FIG. 7, when the person is in sitting posture. The cushion 23 is attached in known manner to a pair of moving belts 25 and 27. As shown in FIG. 5, the back portion 11 of the lounge chair comprises transverse slit 29, 31 thus enabling the belts to slide through the slits and over the top of the back 11 all in the manner illustrated in FIG. 9 of the drawings. This will also be illustrated in FIG. 6 where it will clearly be shown that the cushion is movable from the upper position illustrated in full line in FIG. 6 to the lower position illustrated in dotted lines in FIG. 6 by merely sliding the belts through the slits and over the top of the back portion of the lounge chair 1.

When a person takes a sun bath in the sitting posture as illustrated in FIG. 8, he might prefer to have some means for holding the book in order to enable the rays of the sun to hit the body without being obstructed. For this purpose, in accordance with another embodiments of the invention, there is provided a book-holder 33 which will enable the person to read while in sitting posture even without holding the book.

The book-holder 33 will be seen to comprise an arm 35 which is attached to the top portion of the back 11 of the chair, a second arm 37 which is pivotally mounted at the end of the arm 35, a U-shaped member 39 which is pivotally mounted at the end of the arm 37 and a clear vinyl pouch 41 which is engated over the U-shaped member 39 and is capable of receiving a book 43 as illustrated in FIG. 8 of the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 11, it will be seen that in order to be more comfortable for the forehead and the chin of the person there are provided pads 47 and 49 which are applied in known manner to the canvas 7, at both ends of the aperture 13 such as with Velcro or snaptype" attachments. This type of support for the chin and forehead will be seen to be more comfortable and since they are covered with a washable tissue, they will be more easy to keep clean.

Referring to FIG. 12, it is possible to provide the canvas with an enlarged aperture as compared to FIG. 11, that is opening 45, and to sew elastic bands 51, 53 which will cover the upper and lower portions of the apertures 45 and will respectively support the forehead and chin of the person taking a sun bath in prone position.

If one choses to use the same size of aperture as in FIG. 12, that is aperture 45, it would still be possible, in accordance with another embodiments to mount elastic bands 55, 57 and to hook them to the canvas 7. For this purpose, the bands are first of all provided with a pair of hooks 59 wrapped at both ends thereof. For each elastic band 55 or 57, there are two grommets 61 mounted in known manner in the canvas 7 to provide two openings on the left of each of the lower and upper portions of the aperture 45. On the right-hand side of the aperture 45, there are six grommets for the elastic band 55 and six more for the elastic band 57. This will enable to adjust the extensibility of the bands which can be hooked in either of the three pairs of grommets as shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings.

Sponge pads 56 are mounted in sliding engagement over the bands 55, 57 again for more comfort.

The operation of the chair according to the invention is quite simple. In sitting posture, the chair will be used as any other sun-bathing chair. If the sun-bather wishes to subject his back to the sun rays, while continuing his reading, he will pass his hands through the apertures 19 and 21 and will rest his head in either of the openings 13 or 45 which will permit him to continue his reading while sun-bathing.

This invention is obviously also applicable to lounge chairs of all kinds, to so called short chairs, chairs which are either folding or not folding, heavy construction wooden chairs, or the like, etc.

It is also within the spirit of the present invention to provide markings on the canvas or the like whereby the buyer would himself cut the openings for the head and arms.

I claim:

1. A chair or the like comprising a frame, a relatively thin flexible material associated with said frame for supporting the body of a person, said chair including a pivotally connected back portion, said back portion formed with a first aperture above said pivotal connection, said aperture being shaped to enable a person who lies flat on his stomach to rest his head on a portion of said flexible material surrounding said first aperture while being able to see through said first aperture, said pivotally connected back portion also including second and third apertures adjacent said pivotal connection adapted to permit passing the arms of the person therethrough.

2. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said first, second and third apertures are rectangular.

3. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said flexible material is a sheet of canvas.

4. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said flexible material is a body supporting web.

5. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said first aperture is shaped to enable said person to rest his forehead on a portion of said flexible material surrounding said first aperture above said first opening and his chin on a portion of said flexible material below said first opening while still being able to see through said first opening.

6. A chair or the like according to claim 1, which comprises a cushion disposed in said chair, said cushion being movable to serve as a rest for the stomach when said person is lying on his stomach and as a rest for the neck and shoulders when said person is in sitting posture.

7. A chair or the like according to claim 6, which comprises an adjustable book holder enabling said person while in said sitting posture to read said book without having to hold it in his hands.

8. A chair or the like according to claim 7, wherein said book holder consists of a first arm which is attached to the back of said chair, a second arm pivotally connected to the end of said first arm, a U-shaped member pivotally connected to said second arm and a clear vinyl pouch engaged over said U-shaped member and capable of holding a book opened.

9. A chair or the like according to claim 6, which comprises a pair of moving belts mounted to extend between the top of said back and the lower portion of said back, said cushion being attached to said moving belts to be movable between a lower position when said person is lying on his stomach and an upper position when said person is in said sitting posture.

10. A chair or the like according to claim 9, which comprises transverse slits formed in theback portion of said flexible material, said belts slidable through said slits and over the top of said back, thus enabling free movement of said belts.

11. A chair or the like according to claim 3, which comprises pads applied to said canvas above and below said first aperture to respectively support the front and chin of said person.

12. A chair or the like according to claim 3, wherein said first aperture is longer than the head of said person, and elastic bands are sewn to cover the upper and lower portions of said first apertures, said bands to respectively support the forehead and chin of said person.

13. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said apertures are only delineated to enable a person to cut said openings whenever desired. 

1. A chair or the like comprising a frame, a relatively thin flexible material associated with said frame for supporting the body of a person, said chair including a pivotally connected back portion, said back portion formed with a first aperture above said pivotal connection, said aperture being shaped to enable a person who lies flat on his stomach to rest his head on a portion of said flexible material surrounding said first aperture while being able to see through said first aperture, said pivotally connected back portion also including second and third apertures adjacent said pivotal connection adapted to permit passing the arms of the person therethrough.
 2. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said first, second and third apertures are rectangular.
 3. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said flexible material is a sheet of canvas.
 4. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said flexible material is a body supporting web.
 5. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said first aperture is shaped to enable said person to rest his forehead on a portion of said flexible material surrounding said first aperture above said first opening and his chin on a portion of said flexible material below said first opening while still being able to see througH said first opening.
 6. A chair or the like according to claim 1, which comprises a cushion disposed in said chair, said cushion being movable to serve as a rest for the stomach when said person is lying on his stomach and as a rest for the neck and shoulders when said person is in sitting posture.
 7. A chair or the like according to claim 6, which comprises an adjustable book holder enabling said person while in said sitting posture to read said book without having to hold it in his hands.
 8. A chair or the like according to claim 7, wherein said book holder consists of a first arm which is attached to the back of said chair, a second arm pivotally connected to the end of said first arm, a U-shaped member pivotally connected to said second arm and a clear vinyl pouch engaged over said U-shaped member and capable of holding a book opened.
 9. A chair or the like according to claim 6, which comprises a pair of moving belts mounted to extend between the top of said back and the lower portion of said back, said cushion being attached to said moving belts to be movable between a lower position when said person is lying on his stomach and an upper position when said person is in said sitting posture.
 10. A chair or the like according to claim 9, which comprises transverse slits formed in the back portion of said flexible material, said belts slidable through said slits and over the top of said back, thus enabling free movement of said belts.
 11. A chair or the like according to claim 3, which comprises pads applied to said canvas above and below said first aperture to respectively support the front and chin of said person.
 12. A chair or the like according to claim 3, wherein said first aperture is longer than the head of said person, and elastic bands are sewn to cover the upper and lower portions of said first apertures, said bands to respectively support the forehead and chin of said person.
 13. A chair or the like according to claim 1, wherein said apertures are only delineated to enable a person to cut said openings whenever desired. 